Several potentially fatal cases of a canine flu have popped up in the city – and worried dog owners are barraging their vets for advice on how to keep Fido flu-free, health officials said.

“Owners are absolutely panicking, and there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” said Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, chairman of medicine at the Animal Medical Center.

The flu has been found in dogs around the country, and a city Health Department official told The Post that a “handful” of New York City dogs tested positive for the virus.

But all the pets recovered – and experts are telling dog owners not to panic.

“It’s not unlike a person having the flu, in that most people feel miserable for a while and get better and everything is fine,” said Dr. Gail Golab, of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“There is a small population of the human population that have serious complications and this is a similar situation for dogs,” Golab said.

Dogs infected with the virus, for which there is no vaccine, may have varying degrees of coughs, nasal discharge and fever – and some may have no symptoms at all. A small number may develop complications like pneumonia.

The virus has an estimated mortality rate of between 5 to 8 percent.

“At this point of time, researchers are not recommending that dog owners avoid dog parks or boarding kennels,” Golab said.

But Dr. Kelly Gavin of the Park East Animal Hospital in Manhattan said, “We’re telling people to avoid large kenneled areas if they can, and avoid dog parks.

“We’ve been getting 10 calls a day from our clients,” she added. “They want to know how they can avoid exposure.”

The vet said that this summer her hospital treated 20 dogs – different breeds and different ages – for a respiratory virus that at first was believed to be kennel cough, a common ailment that responds to antibiotics.

But some of the 20 dogs developed pneumonia, and testing is under way to determine if the culprit was canine flu.

“All the dogs recovered and are healthy,” she said.

Hohenhaus, of the Animal Medical Center, advised owners to take common-sense precautions such as not letting their pets share drinking bowls, toys and other items.

“If you’re really concerned about the flu, don’t send them to places where they’ll come in contact with dogs who are sick,” she said.

“If you pet another dog, wash your hands before you touch your dog.”

A Brooklyn dog owner named Allison says she doesn’t take Astro, her beagle “to dog runs very often and don’t generally board her.

“I’m not that worried unless there is some large outbreak,” she said.

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Pup tense

WHAT IS DOG FLU? New, contagious virus that jumped from horses to dogs

SYMPTOMS: Cough, nasal discharge and possibly fever; a small number of dogs may develop complications, like